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Friday in Le Mans: Prerace parade and car show thrills crowds

The 24 Hours of Le Mans doesn't start until Saturday at 3 p.m. French time, but as anyone here will tell you, the festivities began much earlier in the week. On Friday, I had the opportunity to visit the Driver's Parade and car show in downtown Le Mans, a five-hour festival that brings out what appeared to be half the town, plus many race enthusiasts from around the globe.

Toyota Avalon [w/gallery]

Toyota has revealed more details and pictures of its Avalon sedan, first seen at last year's New York auto show. The Avalon, designed at the carmaker's Calty design studio, offers a glimpse of Toyota's new emphasis on design and to help reposition its flagship sedan within the premium mid-size segment. The height has been reduced by 25 mm while the overhangs have been reduced by 15 mm at the front and 45 mm at the rear.

London Congestion Charge jumps 15% to £11.50 a day

London Congestion Charge jumps 15% to £11.50 a day – and even a normal Prius must pay We all moaned when the London Congestion Charge zone was put in place in 2003 and we had to pay £5 a day to drive in London during the day on weekdays. But it’s gone up a bit since then. By 2011, it was costing twice as much – £10 a day – for the dubious privilege of driving in London, but having resisted the temptation of putting the price up for the last three years, Transport for London has announced it will be charging 15 per cent more from 7am on 16 June 2014 for your daily commute – that’s a whopping £11.50.